1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to jumper cables for transferring electrical energy from a charged battery to a discharged battery, and more particularly, to extending the length of a typical pair of jumper cables to enable the transfer of electrical energy when the charged and discharged batteries are separated a distance greater than the length of the typical pair of jumper cables.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Battery jumper cables for transferring electrical energy from a charged battery to a discharged battery are commonly used by automobile and truck operators when the operator needs to “jump start” a vehicle with the discharged battery. The cables include two copper wires each typically between six to ten feet in length with equal diameters sufficient in dimension to allow predetermined electrical current magnitudes to “flow” through the wires from a charged battery to a discharged battery in a vehicle. The wires further include black and red “alligator” clamps such that one wire has only black (negative) clamps on each end and the other wire has only red (positive) clamps on each end to identify assist an operator when attaching the red clamp positive wire to the positive terminals of the charged and discharged batteries, and when attaching the black clamp negative wire to the negative terminals of the charged and discharged batteries.
The jumper cables are relatively easy to use when trying to jump start a vehicle, but a problem can arise when the vehicle with the charged battery is separated from the vehicle with the discharged battery a distance greater than the length of the jumper cables. This separation problem typically occurs in parking lots with a large number of vehicles parked side by side. To overcome this separation problem with the prior art, much longer, heavier and more expensive jumper cables would have to be procured by the vehicle operator.
A need exists for a jumper cable that includes some the physical characteristics of the typical jumper cable discussed above together with features that allow the jumper cables to be extended to a length that is greater than the distance separating the charged and discharged batteries.